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Five-hundred years ago, a 15-year-old Incan girl was sacrificed, along with two other children. Her mummy has now revealed that she had an active lung infection at her death. Because a technique called shotgun proteomics has been used to determine whether someone was actually suffering from a disease rather than just carrying it. The report appears in the journal PLoS ONE. [Angelique Corthals et al., Detecting the Immune System Response of a 500-Year-Old Inca Mummy]

Previous research into ancient diseases has used DNA¹ analysis to determine the presence of pathogens. But with DNA, there's no way to tell latent infections from the full-blown, misery-inducing ones.

Researchers analyzed² protein samples from the mummies of two of the slain³ children. The girl's proteins indicated an immune response to bacteria, perhaps a pathogen related to tuberculosis⁴. Other evidence, such as mucus under her nose and lung abnormalities, strengthened the diagnosis⁵. The seven-year-old boy, on the other hand, showed no signs of infection.

This is the first time the technique has been used. It’s a small sample, but further development of shotgun proteomics has the potential to improve our understanding of ancient disease, as well as assisting in tomorrow’s forensic⁶ investigations⁷.

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1 DNA
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句：
DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。 Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

2 analyzed
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
参考例句：
The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。来自《简明英汉词典》 The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。来自《简明英汉词典》

3 slain
杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)
参考例句：
The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。 His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

4 tuberculosis
n.结核病，肺结核
参考例句：
People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。 Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

5 diagnosis
n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断
参考例句：
His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。 The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

6 forensic
adj.法庭的，雄辩的
参考例句：
The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。 The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

7 investigations
（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )；侦查；科学研究；学术研究
参考例句：
His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。 He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。